Vending-machine.



G. F. GONNBR. VBNDING MACHINE.V APPLICATION FILED O(]T.17I 1912.

Patented Mal'. 10, 1914.

[NVE/WOR l I J A fr0/wir GEORGE F. CONNER, OF PORT HURON, MICHIGAN.

VIENDING-IVIACHINE.

insonne.

Application led October 17, 1912.

To at whom, it may conocia/L:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. CoNNnn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Port Huron, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Vending-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for vending small articles such as chewing gum and confectionery, and its object is to provide a simple and effective coin-controlled vending mechanism which shall be compact, and which shall be made up of few movable parts.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of this vending machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation, with a portion of the front plate broken away to show the movable parts. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. Ll is a plan of the vending machine with the top plate broken away. Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 3 showing the discharging mechanism in a different position. Fig. G is a plan of the locking pawl. Fig. 7 is a detail of the operating shaft. Figs. 8 and 9 are details of construction.

Similar reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views.

rl`he casing is preferably double, and formed of a back 1, bottom 2, partition 3 and sides 4E, all preferably integral with each other, or so united as to be substantially integral. The front plate 5 has a top G connected to it and a lip 7 extends down within the front flange 8. Side flanges 9 lap over the sides 1, as shown in Fig. 4.

Extending down from the top to the ejecting mechanism of each of the compartments of which two are shown, is a coin-chute 11 whose upper end is immediately below a slot 12 in the top G. The lower end of this coin-chute is formed of two jaws 13 extending toward each other so as to form a holder for the coins. Extending transversely across through the partition 3 and sides 4l, is a two-part operating shaft 14 having an actuating device such as the knobs 15 on its outer ends. Each part of this shaft has secured to it an arm 17 provided with laterally-extending lingers 18, which arm may be mounted on a sleeve 16 on the shaft. A spring 19 normally holds the arm 17 against the back 1 of the case, as shown in Fig. Mounted on the shaft 14. is the ejector which Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. .10, 1911.1.

Serial No. 726,196.

comprises the side arms 91 and the deliverytable 22 provided with a front flange 23. rlhe front 5 of the ease is provided with slots 2K1 through which these tables may move outward as shown in Fig.

Connected to the back-plate 1. is a lug 253 which supports the pivot 2G of a latch 27, shown in plan in Fig. t3. This latch is provided with an incline shoulder which will engage the cross-plate 2l) of the delivery-table and pass through the notch 30 in the same. A spring 32 normally holds the delivery-table 22 in its rearward pesition, while a spring 8l holds the latch 27 against the cross-bar QS).

The operation of this device is as follows: lVhen the front has been removed and small packages or articles L33 placed within the reservoir 34;, the front is again positioned, as shown in Fig. 3. Under normal conditions, a knob 15 cannot be turned to turn its respective shaft 111- and swing the deliverytable outward, because this table is held by means of the latch 27 as shown in Fig. (i. lVhen a coin has been dropped through the slot 12, it slides down the chute 11 and rests in the jaws 13. `When the arm 17 is swung forward by turning its knob 15, it will strike the rear side of the coin 3G, as shown in Fig. (l, and move it forward. rl`he first portion of its movement will slide the coin along the incline 37 of the latch and swing it laterally, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. G, until the coin rests against the cross-bar 2). The coin should be of such size that its upper edge will engage the lowermost of the articles in the reservoir and carry it forward with the delivery-table 22. The side arms Q1 extend upward to such a height that their upper edges will support the nextto-the-lowest article in the reservoir, as shown in Fig. 5, until the delivery-table returns to its normal position. The laterallyextending lingers 1S will engage the side arms 21 about the time that. the parts assume the position shown in Fig. Then the purchaser has swung out the table 22 and the article 32:5 upon it, he :an lift out this article, which movement frees the coin 3G which innnediately falls to the bottom of the case. Upon releasing the knob 15, the spring 3Q is permitted to swing the article ejector back into the case, where it will he held in position by the latch 27 until the next coin is inserted.

lThe front of the coin-chute 11 is provided with a slot 38, and a stop-lever 39 is pivoted on the pin 40 en this chute. At the upper end of the stop-lever a lip 41 extends backg ward so that when the upper end of the lever is swung to the right in F ig. 2, this lip will extend beneath the slot l2 and prevent the introduction of coins. weight 43 is placed on the articles 33 when the reservoir is filled and has a pin 44 which extends into the slot 33. This pin will engage the lower end 45 of the lever 39 when the last article 33 has been discharged from the case and swing the lip 4l across the slot l2, and thus prevent the introduction of coins after the reservoir is empty. The pin 40 extends rearwardly and may have a small plate 47 secured to it on the rear side of the chute, which plate has fingers 48 between which the upwardly-extending arm of a spring 49 extends and normally holds the lever 39 in the position shown in Fig. 2. This spring 49 may be mounted on a pin 50, mounted on the back of the case, as shown in Figs. 3 and 9.

Any desired lock may be employed to secure the front of the case in. position. A very simple lock is shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and consists of a pin 52 carried by the front of the case on which is mounted a dog 53 provided with an arm 54, adapted to extend into a hole through the partition 3. A spring normally holds the dog in locking position. A small hole 56 in the top admits the introduction of a wire or other similar tool by means of which the dog can be swung out of engaging position to release the front from the case.

TWhile the ejector arms may be secured to the shaft 14 after the parts are assembled, it may be desirable that the shafts, arms 17 and the delivery tables 22 be assembled before being placed in the case. To permit this, the sides 4 and partition 3 are formed with slots 58 to receive the shafts 14. The flanges 9 on the front are made wide enough to bear against the shafts as shown in F ig. l, while the tongue 59 is formed on the cover, as shown in F ig. 3, so as to fill the slot in the partition 3. t will be noted that the discharge mechanism will not prevent coins falling to the bottom of the body or case where they will be stored.

`While this mechanism has been shown to be in duplicate, it is of course apparent that one side only can be constructed if desired,

and that any desired means may be employed to turn the shaft 14. The other details of construction may be modified to aocommodate the machine to packages of different sizes, and the proportions of the parts may all be modified by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

l claim.

l. In a vending machine, the combination of a case having a slot in its front side, a shaft extending through the case parallel to the front, an ejector mounted on the shaft and adapted to move outwardlyV through said slot and carry with it one of the articles to be vended, a latch to normally lock the ejector from movement, and an arm secured to said shaft to swing the yejector outward.

2. ln a vending machine, the combina tion of a case having a slot in its front side, a shaft extending through the case parallel to the front, a delivery-table loosely mounted onthis shaft and adapted to move outwardly through said slot and carry with it one of the articles to be vended, a latch pivoted at the back of the case and normally engaging the delivery-table to prevent movement, means to turn the shaft, and an arm on the shaft soconstructed that it may be swung against the article to be vended and move said article and the delivery-table out of the case.

3. In a vending machine, the combination of a body having a back, a bottom and sides, each of the sides having a slot therein, with a front for the body, said front having side flanges that overlap and inclose portions ofthe sides of the body, a discharge opening in the front face of the body, and a reservoir for packages adjacent the front face, a shaft mounted to swing in the slots and retained therein by the side flanges of the front, a table secured to the shaft and adapted to swing outwardly through the discharge opening in the front of the body.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUGO W. KREINBRING, EDWARD N. PAGnLsnN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the I Commissioner of Fatents. Washington, D. G. 

